Tent stake jack

ABSTRACT

A tent stake tool for setting and pulling tent stakes in which the tool is a combination stake driving mallet and pulling lever, and in which the pulling lever is provided with stake engaging means and the mallet head may be either a fulcrum or handle.

United States I Patent 1191 Welsh, II eta].

[111 3,823,430 July 16, 1974 TENT STAKE JACK 1,209,520 12/1916 Victor 7/s 1,297,386 3/1919 Michki 7/8 [75] Eugene welsh Rutherford 3,097,547 7/1963 Krekeler 254/131 x Ray Flow Heckman, Dyer, both of I T FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS Assigneez Brown G oup, Inc. St. Louis MO- 79,965 Norway Filed: Feb. 1973 Primary Examiner-Al Lawrence Smith 21 A L N 330 450 Assistant Examiner-Roscoe V. Parker 1 PP 0 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Graveley, Lieder 8t Woodruff [52] U.S. Cl. 7/9, 254/131 [51] Int. Cl B25f 1/00 58 Field 01 Search 7/9, 12, 8; 254/131, 129, [57] ABSTRACT 254 132 30 A tent stake tool for setting and pulling tent stakes 1n which the tool is a combination stake driving mallet [56] Ref it d and pulling lever, and in which the pulling lever is pro- UNITED STATES PATENTS vided with stake engaging means and the mallet head 172 277 1/1876 Norris 7/9 may be either a fulcrum of handle 180,521 8/1876 Beach 7/8 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures a (1 C /7 2a PMENTEUJIL I 6 m4 Av/Av/mr/Aw/ W FIGJ FIG.3

FIG.5

panying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is an elevational view of the present tool when 1 TENT STAKE JACK BACKGROUND OF THE I ION/ In outdoor, camping in a tent, the tent is usually erected and secured with the use of stakes set or driven into the ground a sufficient distance to obtain a firm anchor for the tent ropes. It frequently happens that some, or all of the stakes must be driven into firm ground which makes it exceedingly difficult to pull the stakes when the tent is to be taken down. It is not uncommon to break or render a tent stake unuseable in the process of attempting to pull the stake from the ground, and in some instances personal injury has resulted because of excessive strain that is employed by the individual attempting to pull a stake that proves to SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a tent stake tool for driving and pulling tent stakes and is particularly related to an improved tool for easing the campers problem of drivingand pulling tent stakes.

The objects of this invention are to provide a handy dual purpose campers tool, to combine stake driving and pullingimeans in one handy tool, to provide a stake driving mallet portion of the handy tool as a a suitable fulcrum orhandle for the stake pulling lever portion of the tool, and to provide a tent stake tool which may be economically manufactured from moldable material which has the required strength and durability.

Other objects will appear from the following descrip tion of a preferred embodiment of a tent stake tool which combines a stake driving mallet as an integral part of a stake pulling lever so that all of the parts and components of the tool cooperate with each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present tent stake tool is disclosed in the accominone position for pulling a tent stake from the ground;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tool;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view taken at line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken at line 44 in FIG. 2 and the view also shows the application of the tool for pulling a stake from one side of the shank; and

FIG. 5 is a further sectional view taken at line 5--5 in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In Flg. 1 there is shown a typical tent stake 10 which has been driven into the ground G at the required angle to form an anchorage for a tent rope (not shown) 2 stake 10 for pulling it out of the ground G. In this view the tool has its elongated shank portion 12 engaged with the stake hook 11 and with a stake driving mallet head 13 resting on the ground G to form the fulcrum point by which the leverage of the tool may be applied through its shank 12 when an upward lifting force is applied at the upper end of the shank. I

In FIGS. 2 and '3 the embodiment of the tent stake tool disclosed is shown in detail in which the shank 12 of the tool is provided at one end with the stake driving head 13 which consists of a pair of spaced cylindrical bodies 14 extending transversely of the axis of the shank and in which the bodies 14 are interconnected by cross web portions 15 and 16; with the web portion 16 constituting an extension of the shank and the web I5 being directed between the head portions 14 perpendicular to the web portion 16. The web 15 is in two portions on either side of the thicker web 16, and there is a suitable taper given to the respective webs for molding purposes.

In FIGS. 2 to 5 inclusive the tool is seen to bean I- beam section having a plurality of openings formed through the web. One series of identical openings 17 are elongated in the lengthwise axis of the shank and have oppositely tapered end portions so that the head end of the stake 10 can be easily passed through the wide portion of the aperture before the shank is moved tohave the stake seated in either tapered portion of the aperture. In addition to the apertures 17, there are a series of eye openings 18 spaced from the opposite tapered ends of 'the apertures 17. The eyes 18 are adapted to receive the hook portions 11 of the tent stake. Since the eyes 18 for any givenaperture 17 are at opposite ends thereof, it will be apparent that the tool may be engaged over the tent stake 10 regardless of whether the hook 11 is positioned as shown in FIG. 1 or is driven with the hook on the low side.

When forming the present tool, the shank 12 is greatly strengthened against bending by providing a raised rim 19 all around the edges of the shank so that the rim 19 forms the flange of the I-beam section. The shape of the rim 19 is dimensioned so it will fit under the stake hook 11 from either side, in the event the stake happens to be driven with the hook l1 turned to one side. Also, in forming the eyes 18 the material of the web adjacent the eyes is shaped as an elongated oval 20 with its major axis perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis of the shank 12. The oval shape is needed so that as the angular relation of the shank 12 to the lengthwise dimension of the stake 10 changes, the oval tates through the space under the hook, and the hook' is located in one of the elongated openings 17. The latter position is seen in FIG. 4 with the stake hook 11 in phantom outline.

The tent stake tool disclosed in the drawings and de-' scribed above may be madeof a suitable thermoplastic material such as polypropylene or ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadient Styrene) or some other suitable moldable material which has the necessary strength to act as a prying lever for tent stakes and as a handle for permitting the use of the cylindrical portion 14 as a stake driving mallet. The plastic material selected must also be substantially inert to cold as well as heat of the sun because it is normally subjected to outdoor conditions by campers.

It is believed from the foregoing description that the operation of the present tool is readily understood, and it has specific utility in connection with the type of tent stake shown in FIG. 1 that is in prevalent use at the present time. The stake may be driven in several positions so that the hook 11 can be engaged in any one of the eye openings 18, or it can be engaged by the side of the shank 12 by having the raised rim 19.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for driving and pulling tent stakes formed with rope anchoring hooks, comprising an elongated shank having apertures therein to engage a stake, said shank apertures being spaced along the length of said shank, and said shank having eyes formed adjacent said apertures, said apertures and eyes cooperating to obtain a secure engagement with a tent stake hook, and a head portion adjacent one end of said shank, said shankserving as the handle for said head when driving a stake.

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein said shank is formed with rim margins and an intervening web, said apertures are formed in said web and include elongated openings and eye openings spaced from the ends of said elongated openings, and the web material between said elongated and eye openings being shaped to fit under the tent stake hook and rotate relative thereto' 3. A tool for driving and pulling a tent stake having a rope anchoring hook at one end, comprising a onepiece molded body having a stake driving head and an elongated shank extending from said head to serve as a handle for said stake driving head, said head including spaced cylindrical portions interconnected by integrally formed web portions with the web portions in crossed relation and one of said web portions being a continuation of said shank, and said shank being formed with a series of openings therethrough sized to engage a tent stake hook for prying the stake from the ground, said cylindrical portions of said driving head serving selectively as the ground engaging fulcrum and as the handle for the shank when prying a stake.

4. The tool of claim 3 in which certain of said series of shank openings are round and are disposed in spaced alternate arrangement with certain others of said series which are elongated openings, and the material of the shank between said round openings and the adjacent elongated opening is rounded so as to rotate relative to the stake hook.

5. A tool for driving and pulling a tent stake having a rope engaging hook adjacent one end, comprising a molded one-piece body having an elongated shank formed with a marginal rim enclosing a web with the rim having its width dimension substantially normal to said web and projecting outwardly beyond the opposite faces of said web to provide stiffness and strength to the shank, stake driving means at one end of said shank formed with spaced heads connected by web members in cross related positions, and said shank having a series of enlarged apertures formed in said shank web in spaced relation and eye openings spaced from the opposite ends of said enlarged apertures, said apertures and eyes being adapted to engage a tent stake with said shank operating as a stake pulling lever and said eye openings and rim selectively engaging under the stake hook. 

1. A tool for driving and pulling tent stakes formed with rope anchoring hooks, comprising an eloNgated shank having apertures therein to engage a stake, said shank apertures being spaced along the length of said shank, and said shank having eyes formed adjacent said apertures, said apertures and eyes cooperating to obtain a secure engagement with a tent stake hook, and a head portion adjacent one end of said shank, said shankserving as the handle for said head when driving a stake.
 2. The tool of claim 1 wherein said shank is formed with rim margins and an intervening web, said apertures are formed in said web and include elongated openings and eye openings spaced from the ends of said elongated openings, and the web material between said elongated and eye openings being shaped to fit under the tent stake hook and rotate relative thereto.
 3. A tool for driving and pulling a tent stake having a rope anchoring hook at one end, comprising a one-piece molded body having a stake driving head and an elongated shank extending from said head to serve as a handle for said stake driving head, said head including spaced cylindrical portions interconnected by integrally formed web portions with the web portions in crossed relation and one of said web portions being a continuation of said shank, and said shank being formed with a series of openings therethrough sized to engage a tent stake hook for prying the stake from the ground, said cylindrical portions of said driving head serving selectively as the ground engaging fulcrum and as the handle for the shank when prying a stake.
 4. The tool of claim 3 in which certain of said series of shank openings are round and are disposed in spaced alternate arrangement with certain others of said series which are elongated openings, and the material of the shank between said round openings and the adjacent elongated opening is rounded so as to rotate relative to the stake hook.
 5. A tool for driving and pulling a tent stake having a rope engaging hook adjacent one end, comprising a molded one-piece body having an elongated shank formed with a marginal rim enclosing a web with the rim having its width dimension substantially normal to said web and projecting outwardly beyond the opposite faces of said web to provide stiffness and strength to the shank, stake driving means at one end of said shank formed with spaced heads connected by web members in cross related positions, and said shank having a series of enlarged apertures formed in said shank web in spaced relation and eye openings spaced from the opposite ends of said enlarged apertures, said apertures and eyes being adapted to engage a tent stake with said shank operating as a stake pulling lever and said eye openings and rim selectively engaging under the stake hook. 